Energy Intertwined (YamatoTenzō)
by LaineyXris
Summary: Kakashi is a Ninja from the Leaf Village. Admired by many, Reni only knows the truth. She grew up in the Foundation, after she was found in a lab as a baby. Kakashi has a cocky attitude and believes Reni to be weak, but he is far from the truth. Her Wood Style leaves her stronger than most, and when she and Tenzō are swept away together, their connection cannot be ignored.
1. Preface

Hello everyone! I have done many stories in the past, but this is the first time I am actually publishing to a website. This story in particular utilizes my two favorite characters: **Kakashi and Yamato.** They both are interested, romantically, in the same girl, whose name is Reni.

I know a lot about the show, but if it seems as if the information is incorrect, it is purposeful (for examples, I am calling all of ANBU the Foundation, the Hokage is just Kage, etc.). I wanted to incorporate some of my own creativity into the story.

I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden or anything. I am just a fan. :). Please Enjoy!

It is amazing how you can learn to hate someone who once was everything to you. How that person can be a cancer in your system when they were your reason for waking up every morning. When I first saw Kakashi as a kid, I was instantly drawn to him. I knew I wanted to see him succeed in everything he did. He looked so pained, so tortured by his memories brewing inside his head. I wanted to be his source of comfort. It was the first feeling I ever felt in my life.

I was part of the covert operation in my village called the Foundation. Most of us were electively chosen by our parents to enroll as soldiers on the days of our births, and to train.

Unlike the majority, I was found in an unauthorized laboratory. A rogue scientist was apparently attempting to inject the cells of the founder of our village into my system to create a clone of some sorts. I was told I was the only survivor. Like everyone else, I never knew my parents.

This covert operation spit out willing, unhindered, strong people. Our master, Danzō, assumed that a soldier uninhibited by emotion works better in the field. In reality, we learned that he just wanted our complete submission so we would not be frightened of killing mercilessly.

Danzō believed he worked for the betterment of the village, but he only fought for self-gain, as he was bitter since they did not make him the Kage, or the leader of the village. He was ruthless and unapproachable to all of his soldiers.

We were addressed numerically until we graduate to an intermediate level. Danzō did not believe in giving unskilled soldiers names. We had to earn them. For instance, I was known as Jūku until I graduated to intermediate level.

I remember how I longed for parents and family during my younger years as Jūku. We read about them in our classes, to gain worldly knowledge, and I felt I did not belong in the Foundation. I wanted to come home to a hot meal and a hug. I craved it. Instead, I arose at 0500, was bathed by 0515, and was fed by 0530 when classes and training began. We would do this without pausing until 1100 when we ate lunch. The activity would ceaselessly continue until 2100. So, we did not even have the time or energy to make friends until our intermediate level.

It sounds like a complicated, grueling system for young children, but we only knew selectively of what happened in the village and outside world. We did not question our lifestyles. In our primary level, we were trained to never feel emotions. "Emotions are death in battle" is the phrase that we learned above all else. Sealing techniques, medication and suppression were utilized in expelling our young emotions. I never even felt hunger.

Although emotion suppression was strictly lectured, it was not rare for our soldiers to experience spurts of emotion. They were punished and tortured if caught. My bunk mate, Nijū, was never seen again when she left our sleeping quarters to meet with a boy. I was planning on becoming friends with her once we were intermediate level, too. I chastised myself for feeling sadness, though.

My induction ceremony for becoming an intermediate level was the day I first saw Kakashi. He was the only soldier who had memories of life in the village, as he was not given up at birth. He was training to be a Jōnin, an elite soldier, for the village forces. Once tragedy struck him, the Kage recommended him for the Foundation so he would have distracting responsibilities and emotional suppression. I sat next to him, and I smiled for the first time at his always-masked face. It was a strange sensation, but it felt right. He was not talkative, like me, but unlike me, it was from his horrible, gripping memories.

When they called my numeric name, I felt "excitement" for the first time. I was going to receive my permanent name, and I was proud to have Kakashi watch me. I walked up to the raised platform, and bowed to Lord Danzō. He gave me the name "Reni", and I was met with stiff applause. I walked back down to my seat.

"Nice to meet you, Reni," I remember Kakashi saying.

Surprised, I smiled once more.

"Thank you, Kakashi." He looked inquisitive, and I knew he was wondering how I knew his name. I told him that everyone was talking about his arrival.

 _Surprise, happiness, excitement._

I would have been kicked out of the Foundation for sure if anyone could sense my emotions. I vowed to keep myself in check while around Kakashi.

In addition to receiving all of our names, we were split up into groups. There were only 30 of us who graduated to the intermediate level, and we were split up according to our chakra natures.

Since we only learned basic combat skills in primary training, many of us had not discovered our chakra and skill natures yet. To do that, everyone was given a piece of paper. They were instructed to hold it gently between two fingers, and to focus energy to it. If it crinkled, your nature was lightning. If it burned, it was fire. If it was cut in half, then it was wind, if it became damp, it was water, and if it became brown, then it was earth.

Within seconds, people were discovering their natures. Kakashi was lightning. I stopped to congratulate him, and I was informed that he already knew that he had two natures: water and lightning, but that lightning was stronger. We were told that that was a rare phenomenon.

I smiled again, and he smiled back. I melted on the inside, making it even harder to focus.

As people discovered their natures, the room began to empty. Kakashi remained next to me, though he was clearly ready to leave. I tried so hard to focus my energy, but the paper continued to do nothing. I was feeling frustration. Another emotion. My heart raced as time ticked by, and my fingers were numbing. I heard Kakashi mumbling something, and I calmed myself to listen. He could sense I was blocking my chakra flow by pushing too hard. He told me to straighten my back and relax. I did, and I felt my energy flow better. The paper began to tremble. Nothing happened, still.

Kakashi apologized, and said he would see me later. His lightning Sensei was calling him to join the group. I was the last in the room.

I felt embarrassment and anger and then shame for feeling so many emotions in one hour. I relented and opened my eyes to take a break. I wondered why it was not working. I threw the paper on the ground and stood up.

My eyes met the sinister black eyes of Lord Danzō. I stiffened and bowed in respect. He picked the paper up, and I apologized. I feared for my life for the first time, and I know he saw the fear in my eyes as I tried to wrestle with suppression.

I bravely asked why it wasn't working, and he told me it was because of the experimentation. My chakra natures were mixed up, and I had to think about using my chakra in a different way.

He said he had only seen one other soldier with the same problem, and he was rescued from the same laboratory I was found in a year before me. He was also injected with the Founder's cells. I was shocked to hear I was not the only survivor. While I decided on how to digest that information, he instructed me to picture energy blooming into a small tree from a seed. Then, I had to force the branches to reach to the paper between my fingers.

I did just that, as best as I could, and within seconds, my paper was soaked and brown with soil. That was not one of the options, and I began to worry, which was another emotion.

Lord Danzō said that was what he was expecting, and I had two chakra natures of equal strengths: water and earth. The combination meant I was an extinct wood user, a product of the experimentation done on me.

Our founder was the one and only wood user, and the most powerful soldier in history. I was excited in a way, but also scared. That meant I would not be able to harness my powers to the best of my abilities. There would not be an instructor skilled in wood style. I would have to choose water or earth.

Danzō, seeming to understand what I was thinking, said he needed my abilities above all the others, and that he would train me himself, as he was very close with our founder in his youth.

I left stunned. I did not want to tell anyone about what I learned, not that they asked. I never thought my abilities were special. I was always average.

That night, my mind strayed to new adventures, such as my name, my new abilities, and Kakashi. My stomach fluttered. I wondered if I would see him in between my private training sessions.

Over the next few days, I noticed everyone talked about Kakashi at dinner, because he was the only one of us who had already been on missions, and he was beyond his years in skill level. I noticed him change as the weeks went on.

Our colorful children's clothing phased out and was replaced with intermediate level uniforms of gray and black. We also received our masks we were to wear during upcoming missions to maintain our secret identities. They were oval shaped with ears to represent an animal. Mine was a cat. Kakashi's was a red fox.

One dinner, I noticed Kakashi sitting in a corner, wide-eyed. Even with his face covered from the nose down, I could see he was having some type of seizure. With everyone losing more and more of their emotions, his condition was unnoticed. My body, acting independently of my shocked mind, rushed to his side and touched his shoulder. Blood-shot eyes met my concerned ones, and, after confirming his ability to walk, I grabbed his hand and led him outdoors for fresh air.

That fateful night was the beginning of our relationship together. He told me about everything horrible that had happened to him, and the reasons why he was ordered to join the Foundation. With the passing of his teacher, father, and teammates, it was not hard to see why he would be ordered to join an organization that specializes in emotion suppression. Unfortunately, since he did not grow up with the suppression, it was hurting him more, overwhelming him whenever the emotions broke through.

Over the next year, we met every night. I was a type of therapy for his mind. Whenever we spoke, he felt better, and he did not have nightmares.

We agreed to pretend to suppress our emotions in front of our elders, and then we would meet at night and be ourselves. He was even able to forgive himself for the passing of his loved ones. We were so close that I even told him about my wood style, but I never showed him.

Even with my private training sessions, I could tell that Kaksashi was miles ahead of me as a soldier, but I was never jealous, because we completed each other.

When we both became advanced level soldiers, and my training proved successful, we were constantly on missions. Danzō told me never use my wood style, even in an emergency. I had to stick to water or earth style. It drew too much attention to me, especially since I became proficient at it.

Through all this, we never stopped meeting each other when we could, and he never thought me inferior for having a strange chakra nature.

When we turned 18, we are allowed to leave the Foundation compound and explore the village when we have time to. One night, Kakashi and I escorted each other into the village for what was my first time.

We walked into one of the noodle shops, and ordered the first thing on the menu, keeping my emotions in check, despite my bubbling excitement. I did not want to give the Foundation a bad name.

The food arrived the moment I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Kakashi's constantly covered face.

I asked what was wrong, and he averted his eyes. When I was done eating, he paid my bill, and took my hand.

We went to the forest at the edge of the village, and as soon as we got there, he pulled me into his arms. It was the first time he embraced me, and the sensation felt wonderfully soothing and foreign at the same time. I was instantly addicted to this "affection". I did not know how I could live without the touch of another for the rest of my existence after that moment. I was aware of every plane of his body, and how he molded perfectly into my shorter frame.

He held me for an immeasurable amount of time, not used to this situation by any means. Crickets chirping, it was serene and very dark, save for the lightning bugs that surrounded us, occasionally setting off a warm glow to their surrounding. Even so, I could barely see anything, but I felt his arm move. He touched his face, and before I knew it, I felt the warmth of his cheek pressed against mine. My eyes widened in response.

Was he revealing his face to me? Did he trust me that much?

He rubbed his rough cheek against my softer one slowly, bringing to life the fluttering creatures in my stomach.

He whispered into my ear that I smelled sweet, and he moved his lips along my face, making a path towards my mouth.

I held my breath, and he moved one of his hands to cup my other cheek, where he began to stroke with his warm fingers. When his mouth was at the corner of mine, I still could not see his face, and I let out a breath of frustration. I felt him smile. He knew exactly what I was frustrated about, and he was not going to expel my curiosity anytime soon.

He began to stroke my face again, and I closed my eyes, lost in the sensation he was stirring in me.

At last, I felt his lips, hot, and very lightly touch mine.

He asked if it was all right with me, and I pressed my lips back to his in response. A sharp intake of breath was his response, as we lost ourselves in what seemed like only a simple contact up until this point.

I do not know how many times he teased me that I was not ever going to see his face that night, but when I did finally pull him to arms length, a helpful firefly moved next to his head and illuminated him.

Not just him, but a face marked by a prominent scar that extended from his forehead, through his eye, and down to his left cheek. I had never seen anything so perfect up until that point.

His eyes shined with something I know mine reflected.

That was when I first knew I felt the emotion, "love".


	2. Kakashi Disappoints

Today, I sit alone at the edge of the woods, three years later, waiting for the man who has since become a monster. The man who is selfish in everything he does, who believes himself to be better than his peers and his elders. I asked him to meet me here, in our usual spot, and I am going to tell him I do not want to see him anymore in a romantic way.

I sit on the damp ground, practicing hand signs as a nervous habit. I still have not been able to use my wood style in battle and it frustrates me greatly. Everyone else shows their full range of their abilities, and I am seen as a mediocre soldier since I can't show what I can do. I am great at doing water and earth techniques separately, but I know the combination is what will set me apart from everyone else.

A familiar hand touches my shoulder and I jump to my feet. I am disappointed I did not hear him approach from farther away. I guess I was in deep thought. I whirl to face him and his covered face. I can tell he is smiling and it breaks my heart. Maybe this is not the best place to meet. There are too many wonderful memories here, from when he was the broken boy who needed healing.

I squeeze my eyes shut and focus on the man he has become, the man I do not want to be associated with, and the man who has become self absorbed.

I get right down to business.

"Kakashi, listen to me-"

"You know it's not just Kakashi. I'm a Sensei now to lower level students, so your should address me with respect".

I resist rolling my eyes. He left the Foundation, by order of our leader, to act as a Sensei to the freshly graduated young ones of the regular forces. I crinkle my nose in disgust.

"I have called you Kakashi the entire time I've known you, and you are not my Sensei. Remember?"

He looks to the sky, "yeah, but we shouldn't give special treatment to each other anymore. It could be dangerous."

I shudder, and pause, frightened.

"Are you embarrassed of me, Kakashi?" I emphasize the Kakashi.

He places a hand on his chin to ponder.

"I think I am. You know me. I am honest. Your mediocre abilities make me look bad when people see me standing next to you, and you're a useless burden on missions".

I'm stunned. "W-what?"

He sighs, frustrated.

"Reni, you are the only one in our class who never mastered your skills. You are a poor soldier. Your only strength was being able to take me out of my horrible state when I was young, so that the village could be blessed with a soldier like me. I can lead these people into the future. So this is what I want to do-"

He goes to one knee, ignoring my outraged look.

"Reni, you helped me through the worst of times. Since you are sure to be killed in an upper ranked mission, due to your lack of skills, will you marry me? You will live a comfortable and safe life. I love you-"

What is he thinking?

"Stop. First of all you don't love me, you only love what I did for you. Secondly, I would never marry someone who thinks I am not the best thing in the world, and you know my situation with my abilities. I am not permitted to use my wood style!"

I am seething with anger.

Kay looks up in thought.

"Exactly. You aren't permitted, so I am assessing you on what you actually do. So nobody will ever think you are the best, because everyone can see you".

I know he is wrong, but I defend myself anyway.

"Well someone will see my potential. And if nobody ever does, then I would rather be alone, fighting, and doing what I love, than to be strapped to you. You have become a selfish bastard."

I take a deep breath, not wanting to waste energy on him. When I exhale I feel another surge of fiery anger that I cannot hold in.

"Kakashi I loved you! I helped you when you were nothing! When you were broken by what you did during the war. For getting your friends killed." He stiffens and sucks in a breath. Good. "We gave each other a home, we loved and held each other. We dreamt of what the ideal future would be. We were inseparable! We always admired each other's abilities, so I do not know where my mediocrity comes into the picture you swine!"

I stop because his face from his kneeling position is one of pure fear, something I have not seen on him before.

My yelling cannot be that scary.

 _Maybe I got through to him though?_

On closer inspection, I see his eyes are trained behind me. I swallow in fear, knowing I must have released my wood style somehow through the anger, and slowly turn around.

I gasp.

Behind me is the thickest, tallest tree I have ever seen or created.

Not only is this tree huge, but it is outfitted with sharp, metal, knife-like branches, poised for attack.

I turn completely around, and the branches sway with me. I lift my hands to my mouth to stifle another gasp, and the knives jerk to point towards me. I quickly move my hands to my sides, and they move back to a relaxed position.

 _Well, I guess I can make a metal tree._

I am shocked, and so is Kakashi, because this tree just blew him and his fluff out of the water. His argument is nullified with my metal tree.

Well, almost, because I do not know how to disarm it. I perform my usual releasing technique, and it begins to work. I sigh a breath of relief. So it is controllable.

I turn to Kakashi. He is still looking behind me at the disappearing tree, visibly shaking.

As shocked and scared as I am at my new ability, I revel in his look.

"Well, Kakashi, who is mediocre now? Certainly not I, because I just performed the most deadly technique I have ever seen".

"I had no idea-"

"Save it. I wanted to meet here because I am not yours in a romantic sense anymore. Not now, not ever. I despise the person you have become, and I do not want to speak to you again if I can help it." He jumps up from his kneeling position.

"Reni, this changes everything, though. I will not be embarrassed of you or-"

I interrupt him, preparing myself to walk away and process this tree thing.

"Kakashi, obviously I should not be with a man who only loves me for what I can provide him. Good-bye. I need to train."

I leave him dumbfounded in the woods, the place that used to be a haven for us.

I wake up, in a cold sweat. A glance at the clock tells me it three in the morning. I woke up an hour ago with the same nightmare about the tree.

I move into my private room a year ago, upon receiving my elite soldier title rank.

My feet carry me to the sink, where I turn on the faucet.

I look in the mirror above the sink, the moonlight illuminating the contours of my sleepless face. I see tears that I did not realize were there before. Everything crashes down on my at once.

I have nobody anymore. I am nothing, and I do not even know how to control or bring about that powerful technique again. Damn my pride! I would take Kay, even in his state, any day.

After I calm, I look at myself again.

If I weren't in the blasted Foundation, I would have been able to be a full time medic. At least I could have helped people instead of training to use my wood style for no reason. In the foundation, we only learned basic medical skills, of which I excel at.

A knock on my door clears my thoughts. I race to it, and rip it open.

Kakashi stands there, dressed in full gear. My heart skips a beat. No. I would not take him back.

"What are you doing here?"

He tenses.

"Save your questions. You are being assigned a mission right now with two others and me. A group was dispatched earlier today to aid in the rescue of the Kage of the mist village. The group that was planning on his assassination made their first move tonight. They were intercepted by one of our teams a quarter of the way there. We are to rescue them, and then I am to go with the survivors and carry out the mission."

I squint my eyes at him.

"You only? Then what am I to do?"

He sighs in frustration. "You have to tend to the injured and take them back to the village."

Of course I do. He will not admit it, but I know I am talented in my medical skills.

Used to obeying and understanding orders in an instant, I nod, and turn to don my external gear. I wear a black tank, black armor, elbow length gloves, a face shield and mask, boots, and my weapons. I have poisoned knives and bombs for hand-to-hand combat.

Our battle gear is designed to conceal our identities. Concealment of identity is so important to the Foundation that if we end up in a critical state, we are to kill ourselves before the enemy can take information out of our bodies. When we kill ourselves, we dissolve completely.

I return to Kakashi, waiting in the same place.

"Let's go."

"I can see you, Reni, Saka, Magu, Master Kakashi. Slow your pace. You're 300 metres from the land mines". Our team heeds the warning given by our lookout through our portal communication devices.

"Let's take higher ground and travel from there," demands Kakashi. As much as I do not want to listen to him right now, I know I have to. He is the captain. I glance at him.

His ever-present mask covers most of his face, but his eyes look cold.

Kakashi walks towards the nearest tree.

Even though I have been surrounded by trees for the past hour, as soon as I put my gloved hands onto the tree I will climb, my mind flashes to earlier. I shake it off.

We easily climb up, and expertly begin to travel from one tree to the next.

The trees in this forest are so close together that it is very easy to accomplish.

We were forced to train in tree travel in the Foundation, since it comes in handy when land mines are present.

When sensory soldiers are not present, it is nearly impossible to detect mines, though. The team we are rescuing was dispatched without a sensory soldier, and they were caught in the blasts of the mines.

We get close enough to smell the smoke from the outskirts of our neighboring village, the Mist.

Our sensory soldier, Saka, reaches out to our commander through the communication device.

"Ok. We are ready to act. Kakashi, come to control center with me. Reni, start looking for survivors with Magu." I glance at Magu, and he nods at me. I nod back in acknowledgment.

Saka continues. "We are still missing two members of the originally dispatched group. Keep high ground until you reach the explosion site". We voice our consent, and split up.

The explosion site comes into my vision three seconds later, and I make my way down a tree. I reach the base and quickly turn, slamming into someone. I look up, and see a Foundation member. One of us.

"Sir. Are you all right? They are looking for two more soldiers. Have you checked into the control center yet?"

He shakes his head. "No I haven't. I'll check myself in. Where is Commander?" After checking him for injuries, I seen him perfectly fine, and direct him.

I call out to the commander on my communication device.

"Come in, sir."

Static ensues, but he responds. "Yes Reni. What is it?"

"I just sent a soldier to you. He is one of the two that were lost. I have one more to find." He voices his approval, and then disconnects.

I search the grounds, and find nothing. Not even clothing.

Could he have sensed the blast so quickly and dissolved himself? No. There is no way.

I widen my area, and then widen it again, traveling in a spiral pattern around the blast site.

I am a great tracker, so I am becoming angered that I have not found anyone after ten minutes.

I glance to my right and notice a steep cliff with a long drop into the river below. I swallow the lump in my throat, feeling the effects of my intense fear of heights.

Could the other soldier have fallen in there? The blast did spread to the cliff's edge.

Every fear I have slams into me in the form of a huge piece of wood as another large land mine explodes before my eyes.

The wooden object that had slammed into me pushes me down, covering me.

Only, I never hit the ground. I fall, almost in slow motion. I know I am off the edge of the cliff and my heart stops pumping as my eyes slam shut.

I never thought of what it would feel like to die, as I am always so focused on the present, but all of those thoughts are inundated with my fear.

I hear a low humming sound and feel my skin prickle. I feel as if I am floating in slow motion. My eyes frantically search the dark, begging for a source of light.

None comes, but the low humming stops, and almost instantly, I land and hit my head, becoming dizzy.

I drift in an out of consciousness as I hear buzzing in my communication device.

I must be out of range for them to reach me.

 _I wonder if Kakashi is trying to find me._

My last thought is interrupted as my mind crashes into an even darker place.


End file.
